Trial and Error
by lost in dreams
Summary: Five years after they graduated from Hogwarts, Draco and Hermione run into each other in the most unusual circumstances...Draco just happens to be a juror in Hermione's trial...
1. Reunion

**_Disclaimer:_** Credit goes to the wonderful, talented, amazing, and, brilliant JK Rowling.  
  
**_A/N:_** I've had this story in the back of my mind for about a month now and I just HAD to write it...I don't know if I'm even going to continue writing it...if enough people review and tell me to keep going I might...Anyways...enjoy..

**_Prologue  
_**  
Five years ago, the Dark Lord Voldemort met his downfall when Harry Potter defeated him in a duel. The details about Voldemort's death were sketchy, because Harry claimed to have lost his memory during the final minutes of the duel. Many theories went on about Harry's victory, but he was still looked upon as the greatest hero of modern times. After the defeat of Voldemort Harry Potter's personality changed drastically; he was a power hungry Auror who was working on becoming the Minister of Magic...no one was sure why this change had come about him.  
  
Most of the Death Eaters were tracked down and killed either by Aurors or Dementors after Voldemort's defeat, however, there are still a few in hiding, still convinced that they could take over the Wizarding World. One Death Eater that was able to escape the grasp of the Ministry was Lucius Malfoy, and he is only still alive because of his son, Draco. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had briefly joined sides to help defeat Voldemort, but ever since Draco's father had successfully escaped, their short-lived friendship had crumbled. Even though Draco hated his father with a passion, he could not suffer his mother, who had loved her husband with all her heart. Draco loved his mother dearly, and could not bring pain to her life; so Draco let his father slip through the Ministry's fingertips. Because of this, Draco has to endure orders by his father, such as where to work, and who to date and possibly marry.  
  
Draco has not seen any of his fellow classmates since he graduated from Hogwarts. He sees Pansy Parkinson only because his father forces him to date the only other pureblood that is his age. Draco occasionally sees Harry in the halls at work, but they never talk. Most of Draco's colleagues are afraid of him, because he has so much power; and because of this, Draco has barely any friends.

_**Chapter One - Reunion**  
_  
One cold and dreary mid-morning in December, Draco Malfoy made his way up to his office in the Department of International Magical Cooperation in the Ministry of Magic. He sighed heavily as he sat down in front of his large oak desk and picked up the Daily Prophet and began to read the front page.  
  
"Excuse me, sir?" Someone was at the doorway to his office and knocked on the open door.  
  
Draco lay the paper down, folded his arms and looked at his visitor; it was his assistant.  
  
"What? I just got to work, and I have to get ready for my meeting in an hour...I really do not have the time."  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, the mail is here that's all."  
  
Draco sighed again. "Any more Howlers and I'll need a new desk." He glanced down at the top of his oak desk which was permanently burned with scorch mark.  
  
"No sir, you have an official letter from the Wizengamot." His assistant said nervously.  
  
"I am not apart of the Wizengamot."  
  
"Yes, but you still have a--"  
  
"Just give it to me and be gone!" Draco spat.  
  
Draco's assistant shuffled to his desk and laid the parchment on it, slightly bowed out of respect, and left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Draco lifted up the letter and studied it closely. The parchment was a purple color with an elaborate silver W in the middle. He wondered why the Wizengamot would write to him. He held it in his palm for a few minutes before he was interrupted again with a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in!" He yelled impatiently.  
  
The knob turned and in came a tall woman with a face like a pug. Pansy Parkinson was Draco's girlfriend, but not by choice. They started dating five years ago when the two of them graduated from Hogwarts.  
  
"Hello Draco darling." Pansy said in her overly sweet voice as she made her way into his office.  
  
"Can a man have any peace or must I be interrupted with ridiculous intrusions every other minute?" Draco replied angrily.  
  
Pansy ignored him. "I'm inviting you over to my place tonight." She winked.  
  
"I'm busy." He said bluntly.  
  
"With what?" She demanded.  
  
"With work! Now if you will excuse me, I have a meeting!" Draco stood up so fast he sent his chair falling backwards behind him. He waved his wand to set it back up again, and with a final glare at Pansy, he left his office.  
  
Outside his office, Draco realized that it was another forty minutes before his meeting with the International Magical Office of Law. He knew he couldn't stand outside his office for long, because Pansy would come out any second and look for him. He decided that he would go up to the muggle world and get an early lunch.  
  
He made his way into muggle London when it came to him that he wasn't wearing Muggle clothes. Several people stared at him as he walked on the sidewalk, his dark green robes billowing in the wind behind him.  
  
Draco got to the restaurant that he usually ate at in the muggle world and took a seat inside. A waiter asked him what he would have to eat and he ordered his usual pasta and salad. As he finished eating his lunch and waited for the waiter to give him the check while he was absentmindedly staring out the window where it had begun to snow.  
  
A woman walking on the sidewalk past the restaurant caught his attention. She was wearing deep blue robes, not typical muggle clothing. She had short, wavy, brown hair, and was making her way slowly towards the phone booth that led down into the Ministry of Magic.  
  
"Here is your check sir." said the waiter from behind him. Draco turned around quickly and stared at the man, not taking in the words he said because he was distracted by the woman. The waiter shoved a little piece of paper in Draco's hand with the amount that he had to pay. Draco turned back around and looked outside and saw the woman was now inside the phone booth, and had the phone to her ear...  
  
"Will you be paying in cash or check?" said the cashier next to Draco.  
  
"Uh...cash..." Draco forced himself to turn back around to the cashier. He took out a wad of muggle money and paid the cashier. After he paid the man, he ran outside the restaurant and looked over at the phone booth. The woman was still in there...  
  
Something about that woman drew Draco to him. He crossed the street and went over to the phone booth. He knocked on the glass and the woman turned around.  
  
"You look like you need help..." Draco said through the glass.  
  
"Oh no, I'm fine, thanks." The woman blushed and looked away quickly.  
  
For a moment Draco thought about just walking away...but he had to know if she was a muggle or not..."Are you by any chance...a...witch?" Draco blurted.  
  
The woman immediately turned back around. "Yes...are you a--"  
  
Draco nodded curtly. She opened the door to the booth, letting Draco inside. "Then you may be able to help me..." She said, "How do I get to the Ministry from here?"  
  
Draco picked up the receiver, still staring at the woman next to him. He dialed six two four four two....  
  
A cool female voice sounded, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."  
  
The woman looked back at Draco and then back to the telephone box. She enunciated loudly, "Hermione Granger, visitor for Harry Potter in the Auror Headquarters."  
  
With a clatter, a silver badge came out of the coin return with Hermione Granger, Visitor to Auror Headquarters on it. She pinned it to her robes and looked back at Draco, waiting for him to state his name and business. Draco just stared at Hermione with an open mouth. It was the mudblood he knew form school...he couldn't believe how beautiful she had become...  
  
Finally he came to his senses and said, "D.M., Department of International Magical Cooperation." The phone booth shuddered and sank into the ground. After a minute, they arrived in the Atrium of the Ministry. Hermione stepped out first and looked back at Draco after he walked out of the booth.  
  
"Thank you for helping me...Mr. uh..." She broke off, not knowing his last name.  
  
"Your welcome," replied Draco bluntly and he walked away quickly as he made his way to the elevators. When the golden gate closed and he was making his way back up to his office, he kept running over and over in his mind the last time he had seen Hermione...  
  
"Hermione...can you meet me in the entrance hall in ten minutes?" Draco whispered so nobody else would hear.  
  
Hermione turned around and glared at Draco at the Slytherin table. "What do you want, Malfoy?" She asked hatefully.  
  
"Please..." He begged sincerely. Hermione rolled her eyes at him but she nodded her head.  
  
Ten minutes later, Hermione walked out of the Great Hall and saw Draco waiting for her over by the doors.  
  
"Ok...what do you want?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Let's go for a walk." Draco smiled and opened the doors and led Hermione outside.  
  
"Malfoy...what do you want?!" Hermione asked, but followed him anyways.  
  
Malfoy led Hermione to a place where nobody would overhear them. He was acting very strangely and fidgeting around with his robes a lot.  
  
"Hermione...I have to tell you something."  
  
Hermione thought of some insults to throw at him, but he was acting very nervous, and decided to just keep quiet and wait for him to start talking.  
  
After she didn't respond, Draco worked up the courage to keep talking. "I know I've been horrible to you in the past...but I just think this is my last chance to let you know how I've been feeling for a while now..."  
  
"Get to the point, Malfoy...I have things to do..."  
  
"I'm attracted to you...and I want to have a relationship with you." Draco blurted quickly and in one breath.  
  
Hermione furrowed her eyebrows and bit her tongue to stop herself from laughing. But the look he gave her told her he was being serious.  
  
"Malfoy...I don't know what to say..." Hermione broke off, thinking of what to say. "I'm sorry but I just can't...have a relationship...with you."  
  
"Can we at least talk about it? Can't we just work out everything?" Draco begged, not sounding like himself. He sounded weak and vulnerable, instead of his usual pompous self.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Hermione said and left Draco standing there alone.  
  
After thinking about it for a few hours, Hermione walked up to Draco right before their graduation ceremony started.  
  
"Look, I just need a few answers." She said to him.  
  
"Leave me alone." Draco responded without looking at her.  
  
"What's going on? I thought you said you wanted to talk this out?" Hermione tried to get Draco to look at him.  
  
Draco looked down into Hermione's eyes. "Granger, I have put up with you for seven years, I have waited for this moment for forever. I will finally be rid of you, and all the other mudbloods in this school. I wish you good luck in your life, Granger, just stay out of mine." And this time it was Draco's turn to walk away from Hermione.  
  
The last Draco saw of Hermione was when she accepted her diploma from Albus Dumbledore and had for what he thought, walked out of his life forever.  
  
When Draco got back to his office, thankfully, Pansy was gone. The first thing he saw when he walked in was the purple letter still lying on his desk. He closed the door to his office and crossed the room. He sat down and held the parchment in his hand again. He sighed and unrolled it and read the contents of the letter.  
  
Dear Mr. D. Malfoy,  
You are required to be present as a juror in a trial  
taking place this Thursday at 8 a.m. in courtroom ten. Do not be  
late.  
Sincerely,  
Wizengamot Administrative Services  
  
Draco rolled the letter back up and sighed yet again. He was already busy enough with meetings, clients, papers, and other work, he didn't need more pressure on him now to be a juror in a trial that was probably meaningless anyways...

**_A/N:_** If you liked this...please review and tell me why you liked it. If you didn't like this...please review and tell me what I need to do better...Thank you. 


	2. False Accusations

_**Disclaimer:** ((shakes head)) nope. not mine. none of it. well..the plot is..._

_**A/N:** I'm starting to really like this story! Please review and tell me if you do too!_

_**Chapter Two - False Accusations**_  
  
Thursday morning came and Draco made his way to courtroom ten at 8 a.m. He turned the knob and walked across the rows and sat down in a chair where the jurors sat. Only two other of the nine jurors were there when Draco arrived. He sighed as he sat in the front row and looked around the room. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, was in there, as was all of the Wizengamot. Harry Potter, being a member of the Wizengamot was in there as well. Once everyone was settled in the room, Fudge stood up and cleared his throat; everyone went silent.  
  
"Now that everyone is here, please bring in the defendant." He spoke wearily.  
  
Doors on the opposite side of the room burst open and two men brought in a wavy haired woman and sat her down in a chair in front of the whole court. Draco's mouth fell open at the site of Hermione, she would never do anything illegal...why was she in court?  
  
"Ms. Hermione Granger, six months ago you were caught in the presence of an exiled death eater in Hogsmeade. The prosecutor has a witness that believes that you were passing valuable information to that death eater." Fudge croaked. "What do you plea?"  
  
Hermione spoke loudly and confidently. "I plead innocent."  
  
"So be it." Fudge shook his head. "If the jury finds you guilty after you plead innocent, you do know that the punishment will be twice as harsh?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Before the trial begins, I must ask the jurors to please speak now if you know or have any contact with the defendant." Fudge looked up over his glasses and watched the nine people who were jurors.  
  
Everyone shook their heads but Draco, who just sat in stunned silence staring at Hermione. Hermione was also staring at Draco, recognizing him as the man who helped her a few days before.  
  
"Alright, may the trial begin." Fudge said when no one said anything and sat down to face Hermione again.  
  
"Ms. Granger, this is the last chance you have to ask for a lawyer, or do you really insist on representing yourself in this trial?" Fudge asked irritably.  
  
"I want to represent myself, sir."  
  
"Very well. We will start with the prosecution, bring out your witness, Mr. Potter." Fudge said.

Hermione watched her prosecutor as he stood up and made his way to the doors on the opposite side of the room. He opened them up and let in a short man that Hermione recognized. Harry led the man into the room and sat him down in a chair near Hermione's.  
  
Harry spoke in a clear voice, and read directly off his parchment. "You claim to have been in the Hogs Head on the third of June, six months ago?"  
  
The man in the chair mumbled softly, "Yes, and I saw her there." He jabbed his thumb at Hermione.  
  
"What was she doing there?" Harry asked.  
  
The man paused before responding, "She was talking to a death eater...she was telling him some secret plan about forcing the Fudge out of his position as Minister of Magic."  
  
"How do you know this person was a death eater?" Harry queried.  
  
"I saw the dark mark on his left wrist, sir."  
  
"And are you positive it was Ms. Granger that you saw there that night?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Hermione scoffed loudly. "Oh this is ridiculous."  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry asked, looking over at Hermione.  
  
"I would never give information to a death eater...I helped put some death eaters away! You know that, Harry!"  
  
Fudge stood up quickly. "Ms. Granger, it would be wise if you did not speak out of turn, and it would be even wiser to not lie under oath--"  
  
"I never took an oath!" Hermione interrupted.  
  
"I think we are done for today." Fudge spat and started gathering his belongings. "This trial will resume same time next week." He said, giving a final glare at Hermione and left the courtroom.  
  
........  
  
Hermione was still sitting in her chair, free to go, but she was watching the man who helped her out a few days ago. She watched him finish taking notes on his parchment and leave the courtroom after everyone else did.  
  
He was walking down a quiet, deserted corridor when Hermione came up behind him.  
  
"Excuse me, sir..." She asked.  
  
Draco turned around and stared at her. "We're not supposed to be talking; I am a juror in your trial." He breathed.  
  
"But I was wondering why you helped me out a few days ago." Hermione asked.  
  
"I was feeling generous." Draco tried to walk away.  
  
"Well are you feeling generous now?"  
  
Draco stopped in his tracks. "What do you mean..." He inquired without turning around.  
  
"Will you help me?"  
  
Draco turned around quickly.  
  
"Are you crazy?!"  
  
"There's no way I can do this by myself. And nobody will defend me." Hermione stated.  
  
"I can't defend you...I am not a lawyer, and I am a juror in your trial!" Draco repeated.  
  
"Why would I help you anyways?" Draco looked at her oddly. She surely doesn't know who I am does she? But why is she asking for my help? Draco thought.  
  
"Well I was thinking that since you're part of the jury, you could influence them to vote not-guilty. There really is no evidence against me. Fudge just has a grudge against me because he thinks I'm trying to force him out of his position as Minister of Magic..." She stopped talking and looked up at him. "So will you help me?" Hermione insisted.  
  
No. I will not associate with you; it could hurt my career and my reputation. Plus...you're a Mudblood anyways." He spat and started walking off again.  
  
"What?" Hermione asked curiously, they hadn't mentioned that she was Muggle-born in the trial...how did he know?  
  
........  
  
Draco was relaxing at his home when an owl fluttered up and pecked it's beak on the window. Draco went over and lifted up the window, letting the tiny owl fly inside. It perched itself on the edge of the chair Draco had been sitting in and held out its leg revealing a letter.  
  
He untied the letter from the owl's leg and it flew off out the window and into the distance. Draco sat back down in his chair, and began to read the letter.  
  
_Son,  
I've had word that you are a juror in the trial for the Mudblood. I know what you are probably thinking, and I forbid you to dwell on the past. You were punished severely for your feelings last time and I must remind you to remain smart; otherwise it could ruin your reputation. You've worked so hard to get this far, mostly upon my doing, but do you really want to mess up everything? If you do not obey me, surely you by now know the harsh consequences. Give this girl what she deserves; you know what I mean. If it does not happen...I'm afraid I will have to go through with the plan this time. You have been warned, and you are being watched. You know I have close friends who are willing to do my dirty business for me. I recommend you to watch your back because your every move, your every word, and your every action is being reported to me. I expect a letter back with your plans for the Mudblood soon.  
Sincerely,  
Your Father_  
  
Draco looked up from the letter and looked around the room. He wondered if he was being watched right now. Knowing his father, every possession he owned was probably enchanted to become some sort of spying material.  
  
"I DON'T BLOODY CARE!" Draco yelled aloud, shaking his head furiously. His white-blonde hair now was messy and tousled over his pale, handsome face. He was breathing hard and looking around the room for some sort of sign of his father spying on him.  
  
Draco picked up a rather large encyclopedia and threw it across the room at a table with several candles and a bowl of fruit lying on top. The bowl fell to the floor with a loud clang and the fruit rolled all across the floor. The candles tipped over into curtains closed over a window and was immediately engulfed with flames.  
  
He let the fruit roll across the floor and the curtain catch on fire because for that moment, Draco's attention was settled upon a book that had been concealed by the large encyclopedia and was now lying on the floor next to Draco. He picked it up and examined it, it was his old journal.  
  
He always found it insecure and girlish to have his own journal, but he always kept one; he needed to let his thoughts out somehow. He didn't have a pensieve and he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself, so he found it quite peaceful and relaxing to write them down.  
  
He looked up and saw the curtains of his sitting room on fire. He sat there for a minute, thinking if he should just leave the mansion to burn down. This was the house that his parents left him; it was only full of bad memories anyways. But the sensible side of Draco got to him and he pulled out his wand, and with a flick and an incantation, the fire was extinguished.  
  
Draco sat down and flipped to the last page in the journal, it was the day he graduated from Hogwarts:  
  
........  
  
_Dear Journal,  
I graduated today. Hogwarts is finally over, I can't believe it's gone by so fast. I already applied for a job in the Ministry, so I can have information from the inside as my father says. He's leaving to go into hiding in France tomorrow; the Aurors are still after him. Hopefully one day they will catch him and give him what he deserves, the bastard, I hate him.  
I made a big mistake today. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself. I kissed Hermione Granger. I went back and read through this journal last night and realized how much I wrote about her. I find it odd that I would have feelings for a muggle-born. I think I was defying my father more than it was my actual feelings for her...though I do think about her a lot.  
Granger kept her head, however, and told me if wouldn't work. Which of course...it wouldn't. I just wish we could have talked things out, my damn father always gets in the way.  
Somehow my father got word of what happened today and punished me severely. I think it will be more than a month before these bruises start to fade...I didn't bleed this time however, I think I'm becoming immune. The pain was even bearable this time.  
The only thing I regret during my years at Hogwarts is not telling Hermione how I felt when I started having feelings for her in fourth year. Maybe things would have turned out differently...  
Draco Malfoy_  
  
........  
  
Draco closed his eyes and remembered how he kept his feelings for Hermione bottled up inside, and never told a single soul, though his parents did find his diary one day and found out all his secrets, and his father had punished him brutally. He shuddered as memories surfaced of his own father cursing him, and beating him, and abusing him.  
  
Draco turned the page and saw miniscule writing on the back of the page that was a letter to Hermione. He began to read it, but he strained his eyes so much he began to develop a headache. He ripped the page out of the journal and stuffed it in his robe pocket, making a mental note to read it later.  
  
........  
  
At work the next day, it went by as a normal day. Not until the hour before Draco had to leave did it become unusual. An owl arrived for Draco, and thankfully it wasn't from his father.  
  
_ Meet me at the place where we met the first time; tomorrow at 6. We need to talk.  
H.G.  
_  
Why does she want to talk to me?! He thought. My father's watching my every move. And if we're seen together, we could both be in serious trouble with the Ministry; jurors and defendants aren't supposed to talk, let alone know each other. He sighed as he usually did when he was stressed and decided to meet Hermione at the phone booth near the Muggle restaurant at 6 o'clock. Draco just wondered what she wanted to talk about so bad.  
  
........  
  
_**A/N: Please review!!!**_ _It makes me sooo giddy...I just might post chapter 3 up here sooner if I get...**a LOT** of reviews._ : ) 


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